Bornite “Peacock Ore” Specimen — Iridescent Blue, Violet & Gold Surface, 68g — Field Find

THE FIND
A bornite specimen, 68g — metallic iridescence flashing blue, violet, gold, and copper across the surface as the light moves. That color is not paint. It is the mineral’s surface story. A small flash of geological alchemy that makes it difficult to overlook the stone itself.

WHAT WE KNOW
Bornite (Cu₅FeS₄) is a copper-iron sulfide mineral and an important copper ore, commonly occurring in hydrothermal ore deposits and porphyry copper systems. Fresh bornite is a brownish-bronze color; the vivid iridescent blues, purples, and golds that give it the trade name “peacock ore” develop through surface oxidation and tarnishing — a thin film of iron and copper oxide compounds on the mineral surface produces structural color through thin-film interference, the same optical phenomenon responsible for the colors in soap bubbles and oil slicks. “Peacock ore” is a trade and collector name, not a separate mineral species. This specimen weighs 68g. Locality not independently verified. Note: some “peacock ore” in the market has been acid-treated to enhance iridescence; this specimen is presented as natural surface alteration based on catalog identification.

THE STORY
The iridescence of bornite is the same physics as a rainbow or a soap bubble — thin-film interference, where light waves reflecting from the top and bottom of a very thin surface film interact to cancel out some wavelengths and reinforce others. The specific colors depend on the thickness of the oxide film, which varies across the surface, producing the shifting color effect as the viewing angle changes. The stone hasn’t changed. It’s been waiting for the light to find the right angle.

WHY WE CHOSE IT
The iridescence on this specimen is vivid and well-distributed across the surface. At 68g it has real presence, and the color range — blue, violet, and gold — is visible clearly in the photographs. A strong display piece for anyone drawn to metallic minerals and optical effects in stone.

ABOUT THIS PIECE
Type: Bornite (“peacock ore”) — copper-iron sulfide with iridescent surface alteration
Weight: 68g
Locality: Not independently verified
Condition: Natural surface iridescence — presented as natural alteration. Please review photographs for color, iridescence, and natural variation.
Quantity: 1 — one of a kind.